Spay / Neuter Certificate Program

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Summer 2005 - ActionLine

by Bill Dollinger | Summer 2005

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers

To the West Hollywood City Council, for their legislation to expand an existing ban on the declawing of cats. A city attorney has been asked to draw up a bill which would ban other elective animal surgeries, including tail docking, ear cropping, defanging and debarking. (See related “Jeers” item below).

To vegetarian actor Minnie Driver, for her criticism of celebrities who don’t stick to their professed animal rights convictions. “What really gets me are all these supermodels who said they’d never wear fur and then did. To me, that’s so incredibly shallow and there’s just no excuse. You just think: ‘How could they?’” In an interview on the “Ireland on-line” Web site, Driver unequivocally stated, “I’ll never wear fur. That’s all I can say. It’s like being a vegetarian. It’s a life choice.”

To the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, for their successful campaign in Chile, which led to a new prohibition on the capture or display of sea lions, sea turtles, dolphins and other cetaceans. Since 1999, Chile has denied capture permits for dolphins. This has now become official policy. The ban also prohibits the holding or export of these animals.

To the Anonymous for Animal Rights, for their work in Tel Aviv, Israel, to expand a ban on the use of “wild” animals in circuses to include the use of all animal acts. According to the Web site of the European Vegetarian and Animal News Agency, “The mayor of Tel-Aviv, Ron Huldai, instructed the municipality to avoid any future contracts with circuses that use animals of any sort in their shows.”

Jeers

To the California Veterinary Medical Association, for filing a lawsuit to rescind a ban on the declawing of cats in West Hollywood. This unnecessary and painful amputation was prohibited in 2003. CVMA seeks to invalidate the law and to prevent a proposed ban on other unnecessary surgeries and amputations from being passed.

To Jenifer Lopez, for her “Sweetface” clothing line, which includes mink and fox fur coats. The furs are produced through Saga furs. Charlie Ross of Saga told FashionGates.com, “Sweetface is a luxury label and Jennifer wanted her furs. She told me her favorite piece is a bleached silver fox coat with strips of the fox stitched on to a chiffon back.”

To AAA, for promoting New Jersey’s Cowtown Rodeo in the March/April edition of their publication AAA World. The article, “Ride ’Em Cowboy!” glorifies one of the three PCRA sanctioned weekly rodeos held in the United States.

To the American Association of Retired People, for their promotion of ostrich races. In the March/April edition of their publication, the organization promoted the annual Ostrich Festival, which is held in Arizona. The ostriches are not only exploited for entertainment purposes. The article concludes with the recommendation, “And what bird-watching weekend is complete without hors d’oeuvres like ostrich jerky?”